Sons of Norway promotes heritage and culture of Norway – Jamestown Sun

JAMESTOWN – Sons of Norway Wergeland Lodge members learn about Norwegian culture and do community projects, says Emmy Roorda, president of the lodge.

“The mission is to promote, preserve the heritage and culture of Norway and celebrate our relationship with other Nordic countries,” said Mary Englund, vice president. “It is also a financial organization, where they sell life insurance, CDs, annuities and things like that. That’s how it all started.”

People do not have to be of Norwegian heritage to be a member of Sons of Norway, Englund said.

“The core values are to build Nordic culture heritage for the future and committing to lifelong learning and service,” she said. “Compassion for our members in need. That’s how it all began … It was in 1895, they found their were families who were struggling and having hardships, and so they started the Sons of Norway to help provide for them financially as well as compassionately. And it (the organization) helps sustain a link to modern Norway.”

Sons of Norway Wergeland Lodge in Jamestown has 25 members, Roorda said. It meets every month except for July. The lodge meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at Immanuel Lutheran Church. The group holds several picnics as well, including at the Sons of Norway shelter located in Nickeus Park.

At one of its recent meetings, the group watched a DVD about the traditions of Norway, including different areas of the country and what they do for Christmas, Roorda said. She said in Norway, they celebrate the whole month of December with different traditions, and Christmas Eve is the “big celebration.”

Roorda noted that Sons of Norway is a way to carry on those traditions of families or of Norwegians, because a lot of people are so far removed now from grandparents or great-grandparents that they don’t know all of the traditions.

“So that’s why genealogy is important, and Norway is a very easy country to trace your history,” she added. “They’ve done a really good job of keeping records so you can trace your history pretty easily.”

Sons of Norway meetings might have a video, speaker or craft and business, Roorda said. At one time, the lodge had a folk dancing group, but that faded out after COVID, Englund said.

They also celebrate Syttende Mai, the Norwegian independence day, with a meal or other type of event, Roorda said. They have done other activities, such as visiting the Nome Schoolhouse, she said. Englund said sometimes they have a game night during the winter.

“In 2024, we celebrated our 100th anniversary for the Wergeland Lodge,” Englund said. The event was held at Trinity Lutheran Church, and other lodges attended the celebration. They have also been invited to lodge events in other communities. Nearby lodges are in Valley City and Fargo.

“I guess the biggest thing is fellowship, the camaraderie,” Roorda said of the local group. “It’s a fun group.”

Sons of Norway has a convention every two years in Bismarck, Englund said. The Wergeland Lodge is part of District 4, which includes the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The local lodge displays the flags of the U.S., Canada and Norway at its meetings.

Sons of Norway members try to do things in the community, Roorda said.

“We like to help in the community if we can,” Englund said.

In March, at this writing, the group was scheduled to volunteer at Orphan Grain Train, packing layette kits for shipping to where they were needed.

They have donated a tree and two centerpieces for the Festival of Trees, a fundraiser of the Jamestown Parks and Recreation Foundation.

Roorda said they’ve done programs with singing and serving lunch at the nursing homes and plan to do at least two programs this year.

They’ve had a booth at the Community Block Party, which is held to welcome new University of Jamestown freshmen and is also for the community.

Sons of Norway, headquartered in Minneapolis, also has language and heritage camps, Englund said. Sons of Norway members receive a magazine, the Viking, which has information on Norwegian history and modern Norway.

“They also have a program of sports medals. You can keep track of how much you walk, they have a walking program or a skiing program,” Englund said. “You can do (it) on your own and keep track and then send it in and you will get a … sports medal” from the Minneapolis office.

Sons of Norway also helps a lot with disaster relief, mostly in the United States, she said.

Sons of Norway has a foundation that provides scholarships for students, and each lodge can apply for a grant for its own community service project. Last year, the local Sons of Norway received grant funds to purchase diapers and rubber pants for the layette kits for Orphan Grain Train.

For more information on the Sons of Norway, contact Emmy Roorda, 701-952-9160.

Kathy Steiner has been the editor of The Jamestown Sun since 1995. She graduated from Valley City State College with a bachelor’s degree in English and studied mass communications at North Dakota State University, Fargo. She reports on business, government and community topics in the Jamestown area. Reach her at 701-952-8449 or ksteiner@jamestownsun.com.